A Pit of Snakes
by inkheart9459
Summary: Emma's parents have kept a great deal from her about the war that happened twenty years prior. Until her sixteenth birthday they hid the fact that she was betrothed to the heir of the opposing kingdom. and even then they did not tell her which kingdom. As her nineteenth birthday rapidly approaches, they finally inform her and Emma feels like she's been dropped into a pit of snakes.


This is for Swan Queen Week Winter 2015 Day 3: Arranged marriage AU. Enjoy guys.

* * *

Emma knew a great little about what had happened in the kingdom twenty years prior. She was told repeatedly that it was over now, that it didn't matter. All that she had figured out in eighteen years of living was that there had been a conflict, perhaps a war, perhaps not, with a very powerful kingdom. Winter's Haven would not have survived the conflict if not for a deal that had been made between her parents and the monarchs of the other kingdom. Emma knew nothing of the deal except the provision that included her.

Before her mother was ever pregnant with her, she had been promised to wed the first child of the other kingdom. She had no idea who the child was, she didn't even have a clue what kingdom it was, but she knew that. Her parents had told her, only very reluctantly on her sixteenth birthday and only because all of Emma's friends within the nobility started to receive suitors at that age. Emma had been excited if for nothing else than to meet new people. Her parents had explained only because that would not be a possibility for her. There would be no suitors, not when she was already betrothed.

She had been told that they would marry when they had both come of age. Emma had looked towards her eighteenth birthday in fear. She hadn't had a clue whether she was older or younger than the person she was to marry. Her parents told her nothing and that worried her more than anything. They were open and honest people, except about anything having to do with the other kingdom.

Even the servants and advisors of her parents were woefully silent. Her parents had instructed them all to never discuss the topic around their daughter. Emma wondered what good it did her to know nothing of the situation. She could not prepare for a situation when she didn't know anything about it. All of her work to prepare for ruling a kingdom had beaten into her the thought of preparing for everything through seeking as much knowledge as possible before making a decision. She couldn't understand why her parents went against that very knowledge when it was something so important.

And so she rapidly approached her nineteenth birthday, with no knowledge of anything except that somewhere out in the world that she had a fiancé whom she had never met and would one day marry to seal whatever sort of deal her parents had signed to stop the conflict.

Until her parents called her into their study one day and sat her down and finally, finally, Emma learned the truth of everything.

She entered her parents study hesitantly. It wasn't a space she ever frequented. It was her parents' sanctuary and workplace all in one and Emma had never felt welcome. She was only invited for serious discussions that could not happen within possible hearing distance of others. Here was where she had found out that she was to be married to someone she'd never met. She had liked the room even less after that conversation.

"Emma, sit down." Her mother said. Her parents were already seated on the couch beside the fireplace, looking at Emma intently.

Emma tensed under their gaze and went to sit as instructed. "You called me here, mother?" She turned towards her mother, eyes seeking out those so like her own.

Her mother shifted in her seat. "We both did. Emma, you remember the agreement to tie you to the first born of our enemy kingdom to seal our peace treaty?"

Emma scowled slightly. "How could I forget?"

Her mother wouldn't look at her. Instead, she looked past her. "Emma, do you know of the kingdom of Sangremal?"

That was quite the non sequitur. Emma looked her parents over, the drawn looks on their faces. Or maybe it wasn't.

"Not much other than what was covered in my lessons. They used to be an ally before the current Queen took over and then they became a hostile, land grabbing kingdom with no regard for the citizens within its borders. For a kingdom which borders us it was quite little information compared to the other kingdoms which seemed to have at least a month's lessons on their own."

Her father spoke up for the first time. "Yes, well, it didn't used to border our kingdom. A small land called Gara used to border us instead, but a few years after your mother and I took the crown they were overtaken by Sangremal. Precious little is known about them from their current rule because their Queen is ruthless. No one is allowed out and those who do manage to escape don't talk about what happened within the borders for fear that their former Queen will find them."

"Ok, so this kingdom is not one to be messed with. I understand this, but why are we talking about this right now?" Emma started to wring her hands in her lap.

"Not long after they took over Gara they made a move on our kingdom."

The pieces finally fit together perfectly and Emma needed to hear no more. Her suspicions were correct, it wasn't a non sequitur. "Sangremal is the kingdom you signed the peace treaty with. They're the one I have to marry the heir of."

Her mother nodded. She leaned forward and picked up a piece of paper off of the table between them. "This came earlier today. We agreed that you both would marry when you reached the age of eighteen. It seems that Princess Regina has finally reached the age of majority. Queen Cora rides for our kingdom within the next fortnight to seal the deal."

Emma sat back trying to take it all in. She had known that she was promised to another, powerful kingdom. She had come to terms with this. But…

"Why didn't you tell me what kingdom I was promised to? Why did you erase all mentions of it? What good did that do?" Anger rose up in Emma. How was she supposed to prepare for this? It was obvious that she was being thrown into a pit of snakes and her parents had just told her now. Why not three years ago?

"We didn't want to panic you." Her mother looked at her with pleading eyes. She wanted Emma to understand that she had tried to act in her best interest.

"Fine, you didn't want to panic me when I was younger. You didn't want me to grow up with that over my head. I get this, but when I was sixteen you chose to tell me that I was promised to another kingdom so why not tell me then? It wouldn't have made the news any more palatable, but I would have been able to prepare. I have maybe a month, probably less before they get here and yet you tell me now when there's little I can do but hope that when I'm thrown into the lion's den the beasts won't attack me." She stood, looming over both her parents. Her father was stone faced, not saying anything, posture stuff. Her mother, however, looked on the edge of tears.

"I accepted long ago that I would not marry for happiness, but for the good of the kingdom. I understand that as monarchs you have to make these choices and sometimes children have to be sacrificed for the greater good. You've taught me that, my lessons have taught me that, life has taught me that, but as parents and monarchs did you never think that somehow there could be a balance? That you could force me into their marriage, but that you could prepare me for it so perhaps I wouldn't be killed or whatever else? Did you ever think about that?" She made a disgusted sound. "No, you didn't want to panic me."

Emma walked towards the doors, still seething in anger. She needed away from her parents and then she needed to somehow start preparing for the marriage she would spend the rest of her life in. She needed information. Gods knew where she was going to get it, but it wasn't here.

"Now, if you excuse me, your majesties, I'd rather not be here right now." She exited the room with a bang and headed towards her own.

* * *

Emma stood on the tower weeks later. She knew that her reaction to the original news had been somewhat childish. But she was still so very angry about everything that she couldn't bring herself to care. She spoke to her parents no more than was necessary. She would need their support to get through this, but she could hold grudges with the best of them.

Dust was rising in a large cloud on the horizon. Their scouts had come days earlier, saying that the party from Sangremal had crossed their border and was heading towards the palace. Daily updates came as their travel progressed. Emma was sure the scouts' horses were about run ragged from all the trips. News had travelled quickly that they would be arriving today.

She ducked back inside and walked slowly to her rooms. She needed to be ready for this, needed to look as good as she ever had. What little she had found out in the weeks since her parents had informed her of who exactly she was going to marry told her that Queen Cora did not tolerate anything less than the best. She swallowed nervously at that. Emma was a good princess, but she was by no means the best. Sometimes she shirked her duties in favor or riding and walking through the gardens or going on adventures with her handmaidens through the forest around the palace. Those things were not marks of the best, but she would have to be now. The thought terrified her.

More terrifying was the fact that after she was married she had no clue if her and her wife were going to stay within the kingdom or if they were going to retreat back to the palace at Sangremal. For all intents and purposes with the two heirs of the kingdoms marrying Cora was getting what she wanted, both kingdoms under her rule, but that wouldn't truly happen until Emma and her new wife Regina took their respective crowns, which was years away after the death of both of their parents. Emma had more than sinking feeling that Cora would force her back to Sangremal to be more firmly under her control. She wondered if she'd ever come back from that.

It wasn't exactly hard to imagine her death. With Regina married to her, perhaps after an heir was had, even with Emma's death Regina would be heir to both kingdoms. Cora would get what she wanted even without Emma alive. That thought scared her most of all.

Her handmaidens flurried around her, bathing her, dressing her, doing her hair and makeup all to perfection. Emma looked in the mirror when they were done and hardly recognized herself. The girl who would rather her hair be in a braid down her back or simply flowing around her shoulders was not here anymore.

A knock on the door shocked her out of her reverie. The contingent was here and it was time to meet her fiancée. Emma walked from her rooms slowly. Corsets were always something she avoided when possible. She wasn't quite used to being so breathless when walking. The time allowed her to think, perhaps too much. She hadn't put a lot of thought into the fact that she was marrying a woman. She'd never thought about having a relationship with a woman before, but the idea didn't bother her. The logistics of having an heir would be a bit more complicated, but that could be figured out easily enough. Emma idly wondered what the girl was like, if she was cruel like her mother, or if, against all odds she was a nice person. Emma didn't know quite what to hope for.

She swallowed hard at the top of the stairs down into the foyer of the palace and then relaxed every muscle in her face systematically. She would look calm and ready and not scared at all. That was how she was going to get through this.

She used every single etiquette, grace, and dancing lesson that she had ever had to glide down the stairs looking like it took nothing at all to move that elegantly. Emma looked down on a gathering of people. Her parents were there, dressed in their best finery, of course. There were what looked to be a few advisors from Sangremal off to the side, but standing in front of her parents was the royal family. Emma identified Cora immediately. It was hard not to in such an overdramatic, dangerous looking dress, black as midnight with ruffles around wrist and neck. What looked to be her husband stood meekly at her side.

And on the other side of Cora was girl Emma's own age, dressed in a light blue gown, dark hair flowing down her back in loose waves, a delicate necklace at her throat, and a matching pin in her hair to hold it back from her face. The sun glinted off her skin, darker than anyone in Emma's kingdom falling somewhere on the gradient between tan and a true brown. Emma had never seen anyone like her. She almost stumbled, but managed to hold it together.

As she came into sight for everyone else, they turned, watching her descend. She felt Cora's eyes on her, intense and piercing. Emma acted as if it didn't affect her at all when really a light sheen of sweat was forming at the base of her spine. The woman creeped her out and she hadn't even officially met her.

She hit the bottom of the stairs and swept over to her parents. "Mother, father." She inclined her head in respect. She turned towards their guests. "Queen Cora." This time she dipped in a shallow curtsy, befitting of someone of slightly higher station.

Cora smiled coldly. "Ah, so this is the Princess my daughter is to marry. Princess Emma, I'd like you to meet my daughter Princess Regina."

Emma looked over to the girl and smiled before inclining her head deeply. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess."

"Likewise, your highness." The girl didn't smile, in fact she looked just a little nauseous. Emma couldn't blame her. They were being forced to marry someone they didn't know. It was enough to make anyone nervous.

"Come, all of you must be hungry. We've had a small lunch prepared so all of us may get more acquainted." Her mother smiled and Emma recognized it from nights they had to entertain guests that her mother did not like at all.

Emma followed her parents obediently. Her mother sat at one end of the small table and Emma sat on her left side as was customary. Cora sat on the other end and pointed for Regina to sit beside Emma. Emma looked at the girl from the side of her eyes. She was even more beautiful up close. Emma was having a bit of a hard time breathing.

The meal was served and Emma picked at it, barely eating, a combination of the corset and the butterflies now in her stomach. She had a feeling that Cora wouldn't approve of her normal voracious eating habits anyway. The adults filled the room with idle conversation. Emma listened while still keeping an eye on Regina. She was more withdrawn than even Emma was. She was barely going through the motions of eating. She kept side eyeing her mother nervously. It didn't exactly take a genius to figure out what was going on there. Her mother was a terrifying woman and it looked like her daughter wasn't spared from that.

"What are your plans for the wedding?" Cora asked nonchalantly about halfway through.

Emma perked up immediately. She wanted to know that too.

"We thought that most of the details could be decided when you arrived. It was only fair." Snow inclined her head to Cora. "After all, it is a union of our two kingdoms and it should reflect that. We've reserved a great deal of the things required, picked a day, informed the kingdom, and the like, but most the finer details are left up in the air."

"When is this date you've picked out." Cora arched an eyebrow.

"In two weeks' time. We thought the quick date would be a good idea."

Cora nodded her approval. "Yes, no need to stretch this out any longer than it already has. Twenty years is quite long enough."

"Yes, planning for the details can be started tomorrow. Tonight a small welcome party has been organized in your honor." Snow smiled again, fake as ever.

"How thoughtful." Cora smiled back and Emma believed her smile even less.

"May I ask a question," Emma said quietly after the conversation had faded for a few seconds.

Her mother looked at her and then to Cora for a half a second before answering. "Of course, Emma."

"We're uniting two kingdoms with our marriage, but where exactly will we be staying after we're married? It wouldn't feel much like a joining of two kingdoms if we stayed only in one place, would it?" She held her breath after she asked the question, waiting for the answer. If nothing else at least she had tried to limit her time in Sangremal.

Cora pursed her lips at one end of the table. Snow sat stock still on the other, waiting for Cora to speak. Regina beside her had stiffened as soon as Emma had spoken up. Emma was slowly running out of oxygen as she waited.

"The Princess has a point. If our respective peoples are to believe that this is a true joining, then they must share time between the two. Monarchs typically have winter and summer palaces. The principle can be applied here. As it's coming up on summer, and since Winter's Haven is cooler in constitution it only makes sense that you should stay here during the summer and fall." Cora looked Emma over appraisingly once more.

Emma suppressed a shiver. "That sounds like a fair compromise to me." She looked to her mother and she nodded her agreement and then to Regina, who sat frozen still.

"Then it's settled. Regina will have a great deal to learn about your kingdom before you both return to Sangremal this winter."

Emma sighed silently. That made it sound as if Cora was going to leave soon after the wedding. Thank the gods if that was the truth.

The meal returned to small talk and Emma relaxed back into her seat for the rest of the meal. When the last of the plates were cleared away Cora stood.

"Regina, perhaps you and the Princess should take a walk around the garden and get to know each other better."

Snow stood as well. "That's a wonderful idea. Queen Cora you and your husband and join us in my study for an after meal drink if you would like as well." Emma didn't miss the vein in her mother's neck popping out at the merest suggestion.

"That would be wonderful."

Emma stood up herself before the claws could come out. She had a feeling it was going to come to that between her mother and Cora and she would rather not be around if that happened. She offered her hand to Regina. Regina stared up at her for a long second before taking it and standing. She looped her arm through Emma's and Emma led them from the room and out into the gardens.

The gardens were beautiful at this time of year. Spring was just starting to melt into summer and the temperature was just right, not too hot or cold. The flowers were blooming in excess, filling the space with heady scents. Emma loved it out here. She set their path on one of the less used trails and ambled along with Regina at her side.

The other girl was still stiff and silent. Emma wasn't quite sure what to do to draw the other girl out of her shell. What exactly was a good first conversation to have with the girl you were going to marry in a fortnight? Was there a good conversation for that? No, probably not.

"What's your favorite flower?" was what came out of Emma's mouth. She scowled at herself. Eloquent as always, it seemed.

Regina remained silent for a long moment. "Apple blossoms."

Emma looked over at the other girl. "Interesting choice. Most people say something cliché like a rose when I ask on walks through the garden."

"I have an apple tree at the palace in Sangremal. My father gave it to me on my first birthday. He's helped me care for it ever since then. It's my prized possession."

"Oh." Emma didn't quite know what to say to that. Most other princes and princesses that she had met had prized possessions like jewels and champion horses and swords. Something so simple as a tree just threw her off. "That's interesting. I'm more of a fan of tiger lilies. They only bloom here at the end of summer, but they're pretty and very resilient. The gardeners often complain that they spring up where they aren't supposed to but I never mind."

"Interesting choice, it's a commoners flower."

"So it is. I never understood why liking something common had to be a negative thing." She looked at Regina again. "Sure, rare orchids are pretty, but just because they're pretty doesn't mean other things can't be too."

Regina looked at her for a long moment, face unreadable. "You're right, but few of our station see that."

Emma hummed her agreement and continued to walk forward. They made it to a bench at the back of the gardens that few people ever frequented. She sat down, drawling Regina with her.

"I'm sorry about all of this," Emma said quietly.

She felt Regina sigh beside her. "If it wasn't you it would have been someone else. My mother gets her way and her way includes gathering more and more power. Marrying me off was always meant to increase her influence. I've known that for a long, long time."

Emma looked out at the flowers around them. "I'd like to pretend that my parents agreed to this because they had no choice, but honestly, I think this might have just been the easiest option to save everyone. I wasn't around when they agreed, neither of us was, but they weren't exactly thinking of their child, but only of everyone else, including them. It wasn't exactly selfless. But at least it did save people. Power…that would be worse thing to be used for."

"You'll find out soon how it feels, I imagine."

Emma laughed quietly, but there was no humor in it. "So I figured. My parents didn't even tell me I was marrying into your kingdom until your mother sent the letter that you were coming. They waited until I was sixteen to tell me about the arranged marriage at all, but left out to who. As soon as they told me that it was your kingdom I was more than aware of what was to come. If not specifically, then in general. I figure your kingdom has the reputation it does for a reason."

"Yes." Regina's reply was barely audible. She detached her arm from Emma's finally and leaned backwards, putting her hands on the back edge of the bench and looking towards the sky.

"Regina?"

Regina glanced over at her with dark eyes back lit by the sun, a molten golden brown. She arched an eyebrow, silently telling Emma to go on.

"I know what to expect with your mother, mostly just by expecting the worse, but what about us? What should I expect there? I don't want to make it any worse than the situation already is."

"I don't know. You seem nice enough, but we've only just met and I could be very, very wrong." She looked up at the sky again. "We share a common enemy, perhaps allies is a good place to start."

"Ok." They sat on the bench together for a while after that, surrounded by flowers and the sky and perhaps the possibility of more.


End file.
